Mississippi Today

New legislatively mandated Jackson court slow to start

Published

9 months ago

August 5, 2024

Months after a separate court with state-appointed judges in Jackson was authorized to start work, individuals arrested in the Capitol Complex Improvement District are still being seen by elected Hinds County judges and are being held in area jails.

The Capitol Complex Improvement District court was set to begin at the beginning of the year, but to date it does not have a space to operate, judges to hear cases, prosecutors or a system to manage cases, officials said.

“This court is currently in the process of being established,” Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bailey Martin wrote in a Wednesday email.

The CCID Court was authorized through House Bill 1020, signed in 2023 despite receiving pushback from Jackson lawmakers and community members and hours-long committee and floor debates.

Opponents saw the court as overtaking Hinds County residents’ rights to elect judges from their own community, like any Mississippi voter is able to do. This argument became a focus of a state and federal lawsuit challenging the legislation.

Supporters, on the other hand, saw the bill as a way to address crime in the capital city and give the overworked Hinds County Circuit Court more support.

Capitol Police is managed by the state Department of Public Safety and started patrolling the Capitol Complex District in 2021. That district includes downtown and extends to Jackson State University and the Jackson Medical Mall in the west, Lefleur’s Bluff and nearby museums in the east, Belhaven and as of July 1, north to Northside Drive.

HB 1020 also gave the state force concurrent jurisdiction in Jackson.

Those arrested by Capitol Police in the CCID for felonies and misdemeanors such as domestic violence and driving under the influence are held at the Hinds County Detention Center before trial, said Martin, the DPS spokesperson.

Those with other misdemeanor charges are taken to the Rankin County Jail pretrial. She said some are also given field release citations and don’t have to be taken to either facility.

Because the CCID court is not running yet, when those arrested go before a judge, they have an initial appearance before a Hinds County judge, Martin said.

HB 1020 calls for people convicted in the CCID court to be housed at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl, which hasn’t happened yet because the court is not operating, the DPS spokesperson said. Typically, those convicted of misdemeanors serve time in jail.

The former Continental Trailways bus station west of the Mississippi State Fairgrounds will be the site of the CCID court, and renovations are expected to be complete by Oct. 1, said Beverly Kraft, a spokesperson for the Supreme Court.

Chief Justice Michael Randolph will appoint one judge and Attorney General Lynn Fitch will appoint two prosecutors to work in the CCID court. Under the law, Randolph will also appoint four temporary judges to work in the Hinds County Circuit Court.

Randolph has interviewed judge applicants, but has not announced an appointment, Kraft said.

When asked about prosecutor appointments and the status for the CCID court, a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office said there was no new information to share.

The court appointments have been a focus of the federal lawsuit challenging HB 1020, and they have been limited by a previous stay and a temporary injunction.

Randolph was sued in the lawsuit and after months of court hearings, many of which he attended in Jackson, he was removed as a defendant.

Hires will also be made for a clerk and support staff. Kraft said interviews for the clerk position are expected to be conducted this month.

A request for proposals for a case management system has been issued, and proposals are due Aug. 27, with the vendor’s work expected to begin the second week of September. A requirement to submit a proposal is having a fully implemented system currently operating in a municipal court that is a comparable size and scope to the CCID court, according to the RFP.

The MacArthur Justice Center is also anticipating the start of the CCID court. The criminal justice and legal group started a court watch group in the spring.

Watch groups, which exist across the country, bring in trained volunteers who sit in on proceedings in various courts – criminal, civil, family and more – and document outcomes. The goal is to provide transparency and accountability and to let judges and prosecutors know their actions are being observed.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.